Services
Individual and family therapy
Parent coaching
Group sessions
Infant Massage
Clinical Consultation and Supervision
Professional Trainings on Infant Mental Health, Social Emotional Development, and Traumatic Childbirth
Trauma Counselling
Psychological injury can occur from nearly any event in one's life and can leave us feeling helpless and out of control. Paula's approach to the impact of traumatic events is not looking at what is wrong with a person, but what has happened to a person. New information in the field of neurobiology has helped us to understand that psychological injury is rooted in the nervous system. Sometimes talking about an upsetting event is all a person needs to fully make sense of it, however often talking about it is not enough. We must take care of the response our body and nervous system is having as well. We can be left feeling very vulnerable and out of control. Even a person who considers themselves to be mentally fit can find themselves rocked by certain life events. Sometimes a workplace environment can lend to moral injury if a person experiences their workplace as toxic or unsupportive. The moral injury can lead to immense psychological suffering. Paula walks along side people to help them find hope, experience healing, grow from the experience, and build resiliency.
Infant Mental Health
Infant Mental Health refers to the social and emotional development in children aged birth to five years of age. It refers to their ability to:
Experience, control and express emotion
Form close and secure relationships
Explore their environment
Learn
All of this occurs in the context of relationships and within the context of family, community and culture. Infants are born 100% dependant on their caregivers for love, support and to have their needs met. Sometimes there are things that can get in the way of the caregiver(s) being present, attuned and responsive to their infants; this in turn can affect their social and emotional development adversely.
Paula works with parents and caregivers to help them understand what their baby's developing brain needs in order to develop healthy social emotional development.
Reproductive Mental Health
Reproductive Mental Health refers to specialized support provided to women throughout their reproductive years. From the onset of puberty to the time of menopause, women can spend decades dealing with issues related to their reproductive health. This could include new or returning problems related to mood, thinking and functioning. These issues can affect day to day well being, relationships with partners as well as relationships with children.
Paula completed an internship at BC Women's Reproductive Mental Health Program and worked alongside Psychiatrists, Psychologist and therapists that specialize in supporting women and families during the reproductive years. Paula has worked for years supporting families through pregnancy and infant loss and has run a support group for over 10 years. Infertility places an enormous stress on families and often creates levels duress that are common to those struggling with chronic illness such as cancer. Couples often feel isolated and alone in their journey.
Paula has a particular interest in the impact of traumatic childbirth on parental and mental health and her doctoral research was on this topic. She has a passion for increasing awareness among the parents and professionals regarding this topic.